FREEMASONRY: THE HIGHER DEGREE OF ENLIGHTENMENT

                   FREEMASONRY: THE HIGHER DEGREE OF ENLIGHTENMENT

By Fahim A. Knight-El

 

The Masonic universal lessons, if properly mastered by the black Masonic Craft, it will create a new level of energy inside the lodge that will truly cause the sun that rises in the East (symbolic of the Worshipful Master) and crosses the prime meridian moving from East to West and setting in preparation for a new day to create new Masonic life. The Senior Warden in the West and Junior Warden in the South should reflect the light coming from the Worshipful Master stationed in the East and in the physical world, the earth is always in rotation (orbit) and in motion (causing the regeneration of planetary life). All of these designated lodge stations are not just arranged in a coincidental format or as some meaningless floor plan. The lodge layout including its furnishing from the alter (emanating from the sacred text to the working tools) are meant to be symbolic, emblematic and allegorical given to us in Speculative Masonic lessons. Best described in the spiritual sciences of the columns of Boaz and Jachin in which the mystical and metaphysical lessons of correlating the terrain and celestial universal bodies that are rooted in the philosophical lessons interpreted and defined in the First and Second Degree work explained in Morals and Dogmas by Albert Pike.

The Worshipful Master is symbolic and emblematic of the sun just as the physical sun rises in the East (the lodge opens up from the East), which the physical sun sits 93 million miles away from the earth and is responsible for energizing the earth with a radiant light (creating motion and life), which gives and sustains all life on earth. Thus, as the earth rotates on its axis around the sun (which takes a complete revolution of 365 days to complete the journey) and tilts on its axis allowing for us in the Western Hemisphere to experience four seasons (summer, winter, spring and fall).

The Worshipful Master is the leader of the Blue lodge and has the responsibility of creating the spirit of Brotherly Love and harmony within the lodge. A morally good Worshipful Master who is well learned and well studied his wisdom will radiate throughout the lodge (shining upon seeds that are expected to germinate in due intellectual and spiritual season). He has the awesome responsibility of nurturing and feeding the Craft by conveying Speculative Masonic knowledge and staying aligned with the twenty-five landmarks of Masonry; performing sound ritual work and creating meaningful community relationships and inspiring the brotherhood to be good stewards of morality, friendship and brotherly love. I know that it is a lot of work and responsibility serving in leadership as the Worshipful Master, but if all of us do our little part it makes the work less heavy and less burdensome. We often asked the question, which is greater, sun light or moon light? Both of them possess a universal purpose of light equity in our solar system (neither is greater). But each is dependent upon the other to create sustainable life on Earth (that equates to a physical balance). That is how we as brothers should operate by having a willingness and spirit of assisting for the benefit of the whole. I do think it starts from good leadership at the top by having the ability and inspiration to regenerating a new levels of interest based on study (this is the only true path and solution, which will sustain long term interest and support the future foundation of Masonry).

It is the sun's energy that balances day and night—our total existence is dependent upon the sun rising and replenishing our food sources and allowing human biology to continue to evolve (the sun represents life and death to all life forms on earth). This universal principle of cause and affect has been in existence for over five billion years or at least, as old as the earth itself. Many ancient cultures and people have always revered the sun and often was Deified throughout world civilizations, because of its power, majesty and mystery (when I was a young primary and secondary student, they taught us that only nine planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) existed in our solar system; they now have an inclination to believe that there are possibly six more unknown planets and many more undiscovered planets (reference: Robert Hewitt Brown;  Stellar Theology and Mansonic Astronomy).  

Now, astrophysics have expanded this original hypothesis relative to many more planetary possibilities (science is never stagnate); the space travel, exploration and science will continue to reveal just how much we do not know nor understand about the complexities and comprehensive factors and variables that makes up and governs the universe. Some have tried to explain the macrocosm and microcosm universe via Tarot cards and by way of the twelve Zodiac signs as being related to air, water, earth and fire as representations of the lower scales of human personality and the high scales of our personal spiritual centeredness that evolved and revolved around our spiritual DNA, which had metaphysical implications based on the astrological arrangements of the stars when our Earth day was preordained and our return as solar beings (some of this must be understood within the Kemetic principles of MAAT). Every real student of Masonry must be a student of numerology and esoteric science; philosophical Masonry was built and structured on ancient numerical codes of the building of King Solomon’s Temple that was being led by Grand Master Hiram Abiff.  The temple was being constructed and built from the template of Imhotep who built the first step pyramid in Kemet and was perhaps the first world known mathematician (yes, he lived before Pythagoras). 

Also, Freemasonry borrowed the astrological lessons of the sun and built allegorical philosophical schools of thought (better known as Speculative Masonry) that was incorporated in the various aspects and forms of the Freemasonic ritual, which brought into existence the symbolic legend of Grand Master Hiram Abiff, the Master Builder in which the biblical Hiram from the land of Tyree has no resemblance to the Masonic allegory of the greatest grandmaster recorded in the Freemasonic legend (he like Jesus was slain and resurrected). The sun every year dies in the winter (winter solstice) and is reborn or resurrected during Easter (spring time nature comes back to life during the summer solstice). Many of the ancient Kemetic folklores were also rooted in the resurrection story of Ausr, Aset and Huru. Ausr was murdered by his jealous brother Set who placed his body in a chess that was chained and buried deep into the Nile river and when his sister Nephthys found and discovered her brother’s body, it was cutup into fourteen pieces and the only part that was missing was his penis (this is best understood in the phallic worship practices in Kemet). These Kemetic folklore teachings can be found in R.T. Rundle Clark book titled, Myth and Symbol in Ancient Egypt. Man has had a long historical infatuation with sun Gods and according to Manly P. Hall as a phenomenon was found in every culture and in his exhaustive research titled, The Secret Teaches of All Ages,  he traced many so-called pagan origins and sun cults being historically practiced by people throughout the earth. They culturally emulated the moving of the sun as the earth rotates on her axis and in the western hemisphere (and constructed religious systems around this concept); we experience the winter and summer solstice (the word 'sol' Latin word that translates to mean sun and 'stice' meaning to stand still according Gerald Massey's book titled, The Book of the Beginnings.

Kersey Graves in the book titled, The World’s Sixteen Crucified Saviors; he underscored at least 16 sun Gods and World Saviors who were erected and shared similar pagan themes as Jesus Christ. For example, in ancient Kemet (Egypt) the Sun's birth, death, resurrection and ascension were charted and depicted long before the ancient Asiatic calendar known as the lunar charting (the Muslim and Islamic world charts the moon and sun based on the lunar calendar, which the western world has taking notice by observing the Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan) and even long before the Greek and Roman calendar known as the Gregorian calendar, the western charting of the sun/moon and of time created the International Dateline established in Greenwich, England. The  Kemetic folklore of Ausar, Aset and Huru, which was one of the original 'Christ' stories that predated the story of Yeshusa Ben Yosef (Jesus, the son of Joseph) by many thousands of years according to John G. Jackson's Book titled, Christianity Before Christ and J,S.M Ward's book titled, Who was Hiram Abiff? Yeshusa Ben Yosef was not born on December 25, but the pagan birth of the sun god was born in which Christianity borrowed one of the natural creation stories and implied a theological interpretation from much older secular pagan societies and reversed the Sun god with Son of God Jesus (or Yeshusa) the human being became the center of this solar concept (Christians in the United States worship on Sun-Day). Constantine at the Council of Nicea (Turkey) in 325 AD  established the Nicean Creed, which fostered in a perverted and corrupt version of Christianity—this is what governs the Roman Catholic church and papal religious system to this very day (reference: Reza Aslan: Zealots: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth).

There were pyramidal numerical codes that were based in a system of geometry and physics and there were principles being practiced by the Nubian people that were unknown to the conventional western scientists and after thirty-one (31) Dynastic periods recorded in ancient Egyptian history and thousands of years of unearthing by archeologist and Egyptologist they are still at square one. Kemet has only revealed more questions than answers, which have baffled western scientists for centuries and continues to baffle them in 2017. The Kemetic understanding of engineering and architecture have not been duplicated nor decoded by some of the most brilliant Caucasian scientists—although the Nubians left behind plenty of evidence, that has determined them to have been the most advanced civilizations ever record in the annals of time and human history. They left behind artifacts and archeological ruins that do not fully begin to tell the story of what the scribes had written in the Ancient Coffin Text.

The Greeks: Pythagoras, Hippocrates, Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, etc., stole much of ancient Kemetic knowledge and called it Greek Mythology. Dr. George G.M. James in 1954, authored the book titled, Stolen Legacy, which he dismantled and deconstructed the notion that Greek Mythology was a superior culture to Kemet (Egypt) and historically proposed that the Greeks stole (Kemetic Philosophy) their knowledge came from ancient Kemet (Egypt)—these set of truths, also challenged the premise of schools of thought that were germane to Eurocentric Freemasonry having its origin in Greece and Roman and later in England (one of the greatest lies ever told).  Let's not make any mistake most of these lessons of authorship by the Greeks were plagiarized from more ancient teachings and texts discovered and taught by African people of Kemet and Kush. Many of these European mystics stole and borrowed this knowledge from black people and based on white supremacy has refused to acknowledge their black mothers and fathers.

If anyone has ever read my body of work, it would be clear where I stand politically, economically, socially and culturally; I am unapologetic about being a Black Nationalist and Pan-Africanist in which my Masonic views have always been Afrocentric and my historical evidence have always led to me Africa (not Jerusalem, Mecca, London, Rome, Scotland, etc.) but I am not oblivious to these nations ties to the development of Freemasonry and its origins in Europe. Freemasonry began with black people, those Africans who had relationships with Amen-Ra and Ptahhotep in ancient Kemet in which Dr. Ashra Kwesi makes this point in his archeological and historical findings and testimonies of the  Kemetic origins of Freemasonry. Their history was older than the sun, moon and stars and studied within the Egyptian Mystery Schools where mystical lessons were given in all the esoteric, Occult and Gnostic schools of thought—Masonic scholars such as Albert Mackey, Robert MaCoy, Manly P. Hall, etc. They really did not have the spirit or the knowledge to accurately decipher and interpreted the Kemetic lessons taught in the 'Coffin Text' and many of the ancient Kemetic lessons became corrupted by the Greeks and Romans. Speculative Masonry becomes a beautifully put together puzzle when you look deeper into the esoteric, Gnostic and occult teachings and schools of thought. It will carry us into both the secular and sacredness of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It will lead us even further into the ancient Kemetic Schools of thought, but the Square and Compass should also serve as a moral guide. I know that African people had this knowledge long before 1711 or 1717 these dates are important to Caucasian Masonry. I have challenged them every step of the way.

Thus, one of the most important lessons in our development along the way relative to our personal Masonic journey was the requirement and personal belief in Deity this was the utmost condition and perquisite in which our Masonic foundation would rest upon. Let me explain this in this way; Deity represents mere perfection and is not subject to human error or imperfection. This most important requisite was given to us as a reminder to always keep it out front, because man is surely destined to fail us, but it we have strong convictions in Deity in spite of what name we chose to call him by, it is him alone that stand and functions independent of our human imperfections and fragility—the guiding light, the Source of it All. The belief in Deity has the power to change our reality; we can trust and seek refuge in him, as well as find comfort in something greater than ourselves. When you entered into the lodge, it was a process of rituals that were designed to bring the poor blind candidate from darkness into light and you were brought in without the benefit of material substances; just like an infant who enters this world naked and bare and dependent upon its mother for life substances and the mother will be there to meet the needs of this new life—providing it with the physical material it needs to develop and progress (how long will we extend our personal cabletow to reach a distressed brother or a member of the human family?).

Nevertheless, every brother came to Freemasonry of his own freewill and accord and after the Deacons and Wardens escorted and took us on a symbolic journey (circumambulation) to be examined and reexamined by the Senior Warden (West) and the Worshipful Master (East). It was to bring the new candidate to the understanding that you had to approach the celestial lodge in proper ancient and due form (someone initially held our hands and guided us in this manner). Thus, after being brought from darkness to light and being physically released from the physical restraints (It was symbolic to let us know that we are free to explore and are not bound by any restraints). The Worshipful Master admonished the ritual by telling the candidate(s) that what was enacted was mere allegory and simultaneously reminded the candidate that now there would be something more greater and meaningful which shall hold the newly made brothers together in an everlasting bond of brotherhood and friendship, which was ritualized and pledged in ones potential commitment to Morality, Friendship and Brotherly Love. The instructional part for the Masons was that you did not come to the lodge because of the Worshipful Master, Senior Warden or the Junior Warden; you came because God led you to the lodge and gave you the intestinal fortitude to complete the journey (essentially you came of your own freewill and accord).

All of us as human beings are flawed souls, but we cannot fall victim to other people's character flaws unless we lose sight of why we joined Masonry, our coming wasn't about anyone else but ourselves. Remember there is no power greater than the Grand Architect of the Universe. Also it was at that point, that your own eyes were giving back to you and you now had the unrestricted vision to see and understand what was taking place with you and around you. The guides (Junior Steward and Senior Steward) relinquished their duty of being your help-meet of moving you as a poor-blind candidate. This was to further teach you that guidance and Masonic understanding would be your responsibility to further your travels from this day forward (the quest to obtain knowledge and wisdom becomes an eternal journey). The Worshipful Master (who sits in the East) instructs the candidate that as a human being he would have to depend on someone, somewhere in life no different that him depending on someone who guided him through the ritual of the lodge as a poor blind candidate. At some point in the ceremony the Master of the lodge would state I am ordering the Chaplin to pray for you all as candidates and yet he quickly said, but one day you are going to have to pray for yourself.

During your third degree raising the Worshipful Master said as I instructed you on the First Degree work about the benefit of prayer, it would be a time for you to pray for yourself and he stated now is the time to pray. So all of these instructional rituals have deep meanings other than the Speculative Masonic intent, but it was telling and teaching us that we have a moral and ethical responsibility as enlightened men to move and create positive energy and standards that would truly make the good man better—this was explained best on the Bible (based on the obligations you swore to uphold) in which the square and compass served as your guide and tool (this was to remind us that life will be full of directions and spiritual guidance). This will lead us to the principles and path of following in our conduct, which should be rooted in being Plum, Level and Square. The working tools have a duality in meaning and intent, they could appear to the mundane as perhaps the mere workmen's tools of an Operative Masonic craftsman, but in Masonry you are taught to view and accept the working tools in a more noble and glorious purpose beyond the physical intent and purpose offered under Operative Masonry (reference: Allen Roberts, The Craft and its Symbols). We should always transition our thoughts to the spiritual realm and learn to use the working tools to find the God within.

Knowledge (let me clarify right knowledge) is powerful and a persuasive tool, in particular when, we understand that the entire world is indebted to the contributions African civilizations have made to humanity. The Blue Lodge, Consistory, Shrine Temple and all our Masonic Houses should be classrooms where the knowledge of self is taught; European Freemasonry is a system based on robbery and is shrouded in lies and deceptions—the origin of mystical enlightenment was well developed before they exited the hills and cave-sides of Europe 6,000 years ago and before they were created on the island of Patmos. I am going to let you into a little secret; white Freemasons are Moslem Sons and all the Shrine rituals are an enactment of his history after exiting the hillside and cave-sides of Europe (we ran him 2,200 miles across the hot Arabian Desert). Prophet Musa or Moses was an half original man who was sent to civilize him in which this allowed and required him to study for 35-50 years before he could come amongst us and do trade, etc., this civilization study process made him into a Muslim by faith and a righteous believer in Islam (Moslem Son and Freemasonry would be the vehicle for him to practice Islam in secrecy) but he is not our brother by nature.

This is best understood in the teachings of the Mystic Shrine—we taught him about Allah, taught him how to pray and prostrate, gave him the Qur’an and taught him about the importance of the ritual of circumambulation of the Kaaba, which was built by Abraham and his son Ishmael in the Holy City of Mecca (we gave him the true meaning of the black stone). We also led him to Prophet Muhammad Ibn Abdullah of 1,400 years ago  (but initially we only allowed him to obtain 32 degrees of knowledge this kept him at a frozen state as stated above, it did not make him our brother by nature). Those Caucasian Moslem Sons who remained diligent in their submission and surrendering to Allah, we conferred one more degree of knowledge by giving him 33 1/3 degree but we made him a true Sovereign Grand Inspector General (taught him that the black man was God and he had an obligation to bow down). Some we invited into the mystic teachings of Sufism and this knowledge was so deep in esoteric religiosity and spiritualism (shrouded in symbolism) in which some Sunni and Shia Muslims consider the teachings and practices of Sufism as heretic and anti-Islam.  It has always stood outside of traditional Islam (Sunni and Shia), because of the spiritual and heighten internal spiritual awareness of linking God directly to a higher elevation of mind, body and spirit (far beyond the traditional teachings of Islam rooted in the spiritual complexities of the cosmos and universe and all that it encompasses is embodied in the mystic teachings of Sufism).

No, Sufi Sheik out of Mecca, Turkey, Iran or Senegal stands as the experts in all of Sufism interpretations; moreover, I have learned that this mystic path led me to the conclusion that the more I studied; I am still an ill-equipped student of this knowledge—I am a blind neophyte and I am not to arrogant to let you all know this. I am absolute no authority on this  mystic and spiritual tradition, thus as great as the Sufi scholar Idris Shah was in his explanations and commentaries on Sufism, he was no authority—Sufism is beyond systematic Islamic theology; it is the only true and authentic form of Islam. Sister Tynetta Muhammad of the Nation of Islam in her teachings and body of work understood this better than most of the Nation of Islam ministers in which she made attempts to infuse the Nation of Islam’s theology in direct correlation to the philosophical mystical teachings of Sufism. It is not coincidental that the Seventh letter of the alphabet, which is the letter G. (I believe that Master Fard Muhammad and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad were fully aware of these linkages) to truly understand Allah and all his attributes (I am not talking about that mystery God that does not exist), you must understand the higher codes of numerology and the constellations of the stars and the mathematical and spiritual equations that are presented in the universal order and schemes. There was a lot to the 24 Wise Scientist and how history renews itself every 25,000 years in advance and then we live it, but this is truly another subject for another time. I take no credit for none of this, but the Honorable Elijah Muhammad was a master teacher and I am just one of his students.

We have allowed the Caucasian /Arab/Semites of Iran, Yemen, Albania, Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, etc., to convert to Islam and Moslem Sons (high degree masons) and we allowed them to experience our mystic way of life through Sufi Orders such as: Alians, Bektashi Order, Mevlevi Order, Ba 'Alawiyya, Chishti Order, Jerrahi, Naqshbandi, Mujaddidi, Ni'matullāhī, Qadiriyya, Qalandariyya, Sarwari Qadiriyya, Shadhiliyya, Suhrawardiyya, Ashrafi Family, Saifiah (Naqshbandiah), and Uwaisi. Freemasonry nor his conversion to Islam will ever make him our brother (this was the mistake that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad's son Imam Warith Deen Mohammed made in 1975).

Turkey was under the Islamic flag, the sun, moon and star and before the Caucasian was allowed to be received as a Moslem Son (Shriner) he had to voluntarily take a secret Shahada (confession of faith—“lā ʾilāha ʾillā-llāh, muḥammadur-rasūlu-llāh” it translate to mean:“There is no god but God. Muhammad is the messenger of God”. The Arabs and the Semite Muslims are closely akin to the Caucasian man. We initially used the Muslims of Turkey (Turkey is the only nation that sits on two continents Asia and Europe, they served as gatekeepers—at the Caucasus Mountain between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea and before he exited with this knowledge we mandated that he put the sword above the sun, moon and star (so he could always visualize and stand perpendicular on the square of freedom, justice and equality) and to also remind him of his obligation to being a righteous Moslem Son (Shriner).

Lastly, Jesus (Isa Bin Yusuf) the Christ, was teaching the Hebrew Israelites or so-called Jewish Rabbis and Jewish high priest at age twelve and most Biblical theologians and religious scholars view Jesus (Isa Bin Yusuf) life as a mystery during this time span, but at approximately 30 years of age Jesus (I am writing quickly to keep up with my thoughts and at a later date I will do the numerology associated with the Christ), the son of of Joseph returned on the scene and his ministry lasted for about three years and in this short time Jesus changed and reformed humanity with his teachings of a social Gospel; thus, two thousand (2,000) years later, we are still talking about that man known as Jesus (Isa Bin Yusuf) (he taught that the temple of God is within). He said greater things we shall do. We have to challenge our own fears, discipline ourselves and make self-sacrifices; and seek knowledge and wisdom from the cradle to the grave; the first paradigm shift has to take place within (how transparent are we with ourselves?). I read a book called the "Art of War" by Sun Tzu; I have read this book about seven times; it created a driven purpose in my life (it is not a book that you read but a book that you should study). Our ultimate mission should be working towards being the best human being that we can be and use our talents, intellect, treasures and will power to make a difference; I chose to write and enlightened people to the truth and hopefully after I have transitioned from this earth someone will be able to say brother Fahim A. Knight-El made a small difference in the world. 

Prophet Muhammad Ibn Abdullah of 1,400 ago in just twenty three years also reformed humanity and there are now over two billion Muslims who surrender their will to do the will of Allah (God) (Muhammad taught that three generations after me, they will be no longer be of me). Yet, all these spiritual and religious paths had their inceptions in ancient Kemet (Egypt) where the Nubian people had developed a complex religio-social systems that were rooted in the ancient practices that predated the 6,000 year customs, rites, sacraments and rituals that have been imposed on humanity by the Europeans.

Fahim A. Knight-El Chief Researcher for KEEPING IT REAL THINK TANK located in Durham, NC; our mission is to inform African Americans and all people of goodwill, of the pending dangers that lie ahead; as well as decode the symbolism and reinterpreted the hidden meanings behind those who operate as invisible forces, but covertly rules the world. We are of the belief that an enlightened world will be better prepared to throw off the shackles of ignorance and not be willing participants for the slaughter. Our MOTTO is speaking truth to power. Fahim A. Knight-El can be reached at fahimknight@yahoo.com.